Model T stops in Greensburg as part of 3rd coast-to-coast trek

A 100-year-old Model T chugs along at about 25 mph when climbing Pennsylvania’s steep hills.

Still, “It has a strong engine; it runs really well. We can do the hills,” said Mike Vaughn of Lincoln, Neb., one of three volunteers with that city’s Museum of American Speed who are taking turns behind the wheel of a particular Model T as they drive it from New York to San Francisco along the Lincoln Highway.

They finished the second day of the trip by arriving at Greensburg’s Barnhart Funeral Home, which is located along Pittsburgh Street — a section of the old highway — and sports a reproduction of red, white and blue Lincoln Highway marker.

“It’s all about the car,” said Vaughn, who is a Model T enthusiast. “It’s celebrating 100 years since that Model T rolled off the assembly line.”

Though it isn’t the exact same car that was the ten millionth of its kind produced by Henry Ford, it was made in the same year and is representative of the popular everyman’s car.

Its previous owner — the late Dr. Alan Hathaway of Davenport, Iowa — had the car painted with lettering referencing the 10 millionth Model T’s original promotional coast-to-coast trek along the Lincoln Highway.

He drove his Model T to retrace that route in 1974 and 1999, on the 50th and 75th anniversaries of the trip. Now, four of his children and other family members are joining the museum group to repeat the feat for its centennial.

“We knew this was coming up,” said Ted Hathaway of Bettendorf, Iowa. “We wanted to keep our dad’s legacy alive.”

Vaughn completed a total restoration of the Model T in preparation for the trip.

It’s not quite your great-grandfather’s Model T. According to Vaughn, the car’s engine has aluminum pistons instead of the cast iron originals and also benefits from the addition of a high-compression cylinder head.

But, he said Monday, “It’s not like a modern car; you have to do maintenance on it every day.

“The exhaust system came apart yesterday. We had to rebuild all that.”

They’ve come prepared with a set of replacement tires that will probably be switched out halfway through the journey, Vaughn said.

When they were 14 and 11, respectively, Ted Hathaway and his younger brother, Tony, of Davenport, accompanied their father on the 1974 trip.

Ted has fond memories of landmarks along the way that have now vanished, including the Grand View Ship Hotel in Bedford County that has since been destroyed by fire.

Even more than the sights, Ted has been impressed by the acquaintances they’ve met along the way.

”There have been so many great people we’ve met in the last few days and so many more we have yet to meet in the next few weeks,” he said.

The museum has partnered with organizations including AAA to arrange for the current coast-to-coast tour. Tom Davidson, state director of the Pennsylvania chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association, is helping to coordinate the car’s route across the Keystone State.

The car and an accompanying entourage departed on Sunday from Battery Park in New York City.

After an initial overnight stay in Lancaster, the Model T traveled 212 miles to reach Greensburg. The Greensburg Rotary club hosted a dinner for the travelers.

The third day of the trek is expected to see the car advance 199 miles west, from Greensburg to Mansfield, Ohio, via Wilkinsburg.

The longest leg of the trip is estimated to be in Nevada, with the car traveling 257 miles between Ely and Fallon.

The total trip of 3,389 miles is projected to end on June 20 in San Francisco.

The Hathaway family initially loaned the car to the Nebraska museum but has since donated it.

“After the trip is completed, the vehicle will be on permanent display,” said Tim Matthews, the museum curator. “We are excited to give the public a chance to see this historic vehicle that made cross-country travel possible, along with the Lincoln Highway.”

The Model T saw its biggest production year in 1924. According to Vaughn, more than 2 million came off the assembly line that year.

Henry Ford produced the first Model T on Sept. 27, 1908. Initially selling for $850 each, the priced for a basic model dropped to a low of $290 by December 1924, thanks to simplifications to the car and improved production methods.

The 1924 price was $375 when including extras — including a factory starter and demount-able rims.

Not much attention was paid when the 1 millionth Ford, a Model T, was completed on Dec. 10, 1915. Henry Ford tried to acknowledge subsequent “million” production milestones, but some were missed since the cars were being snapped up so rapidly by consumers.

A Ford coupe with engine no. 5 million was finished on May 28, 1921 and was presented to Edsel Ford.

More than 15 million Model Ts were on the road by the time production of the model ceased in May 1927. It gave way to the Ford Model A in December of that year.